To Hold the Wolf's Ears
by Silva Bramley
Summary: Auribus teneo lupum. All Ino had wanted was to have an adventure. Now that she's had one, she's ready to settle down. Too bad her adventure is far from over. Sequel to Please Don't Hurt Me. InoxGaara, AU.
1. All Days are Nights

**To Hold the Wolf's Ears**  
><em>Auribus Teneo Lupum<em>

"When you know what a man wants you know who he is, and how to move him."  
>-George R.R. Martin<p>

.o0o.

The fire in the hearth lit the man from behind, throwing his face in shadow and rendering it impossible for Lord Kazekage to see his expression. Lord Kazekage prided himself on his superior body language reading skills and liked to use them to manipulate those around him. The fact that he couldn't see his eyes bothered Lord Kazekage, but at least the stance and movement of the body was still discernible.

At the moment, the man was standing confidently, his feet in a firm, wide stance and his shoulders thrust back with a cocky air. One of his arms hung by his side, while the other rested almost bored-like on his waist.

The man was a challenge, and Lord Kazekage enjoyed challenges. His eldest children Kankurou and Temari were easy to control. The last challenge he had had was his son Gaara, but he knew he was on the path to finally controlling him.

Gaara would soon be one of his biggest weapons, once he could be controlled. Lord Kazekage knew that his son was strong and talented. He would strike fear in the hearts of his enemies and Lord Kazekage smiled at just the thought.

"You agree with the plan, then?" the man asked, misinterpreting the meaning of his smile. This man, too, would be honed into a deadly weapon.

"Don't be so hasty," Lord Kazekage chastised with an easy tone. Yes, now that Gaara would soon be fixed, he anticipated the start of a new challenge. "I will need time to consider it. I wouldn't want to hurt my kingdom by rushing in."

The man shifted his weight in a manner that suggested he was annoyed.

"If you take too long, my attention is bond to drift. I have my own ambitions and things to attend to," the man said.

"I'm sure you'll find the patience," Lord Kazekage said, unlatching a box that had been sitting next to him on the table and withdrawing a small bag of yellow raw opium. He dumped the contents of the bag into the end of a long pipe and walked over to the hearth to heat the bowl of the pipe before turning and holding it out in offering to the man, "Would you like a smoke?"

"No thanks," the man said, stepping away from the vapor rising from the pipe. Inhaling it, even accidentally, would affect him. "I can't lose my alertness…too many people want me dead."

Lord Kazekage shrugged in a way that said _suit yourself_, and took a seat next to the heat source.

"I'll be leaving, now," the man said, watching him with distaste. Lord Kazekage knew that the man didn't like him, but he also knew that the man needed him for his aspirations to be realized. "Don't forget my condition while you consider."

"I won't," Lord Kazekage assured him. His white smile gleamed with the reflection of the fire and then he was gone.

"Roiyaru," Lord Kazekage said once the tread of the man's boots could no longer be heard.

"Dorei is making sure he leaves, Lord," a young man with short, light blonde hair said, stepping out from behind a curtain.

"Good. We can't have our guest getting lost on his way out," Lord Kazekage commented, already feeling the relaxation and alleviation of pain that he associated with opium. "Call for a servant to fetch my daughter, Roiyaru. I have someone I need to discuss with her about."

.o0o.

"That color doesn't agree with you at all, Lady Ino," the maid said, looking at me critically with her chin in her hand. "You have the ability to pull off many colors, but I'm unsure about this one. You look like you rolled around in the pig pen."

"It is a rather repulsive brown. Or…would you call it green?" the other maid pitched in. "And, the cut is so unflattering. Your shoulders look so broad."

I looked at their faces in the mirror, "You think so?"

They both nodded vigorously.

"I've never seen you look so unattractive!"

"The pattern is positively hideous."

I sighed, my shoulders sinking, "Do you think it's too obvious?"

"No, maybe we haven't gone far enough," the shorter maid said after a moment of silence, clapping her hands together with a sudden idea. "Wait here!"

She returned a moment later with two sheets in her hands, beaming as she instructed, "Turn around, Lady."

I was puzzled until she started shoving the sheets up my skirt and into the bodice of my dress. The other maid joined in and there was a lot of violent pushing and pulling as they adjusted the sheets to look natural. I had to grip tightly onto the edge of my vanity to keep from falling over.

When they were done, I checked their work in the mirror. They had done well. I turned sideways and inspected from several different vantages. There were no unnatural bumps or indents and I now appeared to be triple my size.

I poked my padded stomach and frowned uncertainly, "I don't think this is right…"

Someone rapped their knuckles on the door, cutting off my thought. It was Kankurou.

"Are you decent?" he called.

I shook my head and started to say no, distractedly leaning in to examine my figure closer in the mirror. The sheets were pushing at the seams of my bodice in a way that made me nervous that I would break out of it at any moment. I definitely didn't want Kankurou or anyone to see me like this.

"Come in," the shorter maid shouted with a devilish smile I could see from the reflection of the mirror.

I swung around to face the maids, my jaw hanging open in shock. The taller of the maids shrugged and said, "She's new."

Without hesitating, I sprung on her like a lion and caught her head between my arms. She yelped at the same time Kankurou and Gaara entered the room. They paused in the doorway with looks of amused bewilderment.

"The Princess…she's hurting me!" the shorter maid gasped around my tightening chokehold.

The sight of me manhandling my maid, in a horrid brown (or was it green…?) dress stuffed with sheets, and flushed with embarrassment and anger was too much for Kankurou. He collapsed on the ground, holding his stomach and laughing so hard no sound was coming from him. Even Gaara laughed.

I loosened my hold, caught between wanting to hide and wanting to attack Kankurou. It was a mistake, because the maid swept her leg under my feet and I went straight down.

"Katsumi! You can't knock down the Princess!" the taller maid exclaimed, tutting and fretting as she leaned to help me up.

I shook her off with a laugh, "No, it's fine. We were just playing around. I don't want to be treated like a glass doll. I attacked her first and I deserved it."

To be honest, I was glad for it. With Matsuri and Temari gone, there was no one to pick on or torture me. There was a hole in my life that I was content to let the maids fill temporarily in their absence.

There was a ripping sound as I moved to stand up on my own, and then the hole wasn't only in my life, but also in the bodice of my dress. The sheets were spilling out and I, mortified beyond anything before, was struggling to push them back in. Kankurou burst out laughing again, this time sinking to the floor and banging a fist on the rug covered stone.

"Kankurou! Stop laughing this instant! Or, I'll banish you!" I shouted to be heard over his loud guffaws.

Gaara's lips turned up in a small, amused smile and he knocked Kankurou over with a little kick to the raised behind. He went over with a surprised yelp, his voice cracking, and it was my turn to laugh.

Kankurou scrambled up and, once everyone had settled down, said, "We came to talk to you about your trip. Are you free?"

"Let me change and I'll be right out," I said, trying to hold the sides of my dress together and protect my dignity. They left, but I could hear them conversing on the other side of the door. The maids didn't even wait for my order, but started in on helping me change immediately.

"Maybe we should rub grease from the kitchen on her face so her complexion isn't so clear and beautiful," the shorter maid Katsumi said, continuing brainstorming ideas on how to make me appear unattractive for when I went to meet with Lord Shino.

I spaced off, not really listening to their ideas, staring out the window and wandering what Gaara and Kankurou had come to talk to me about. Had Gaara decided to come after all? I understood that it would be insensitive to break the engagement with the person I was going to marry instead in my visiting company, but it didn't stop me from wishing he could go with me anyway.

When they finished, I was back to looking like my usual self, dressed in a flattering, stylish cut that was my customary purple shade. They had only touched up my hair, pinning back the strands that had fallen out earlier.

"Thank you," I said, hurriedly skipping out of the room. Kankurou and Gaara were leaning against the wall just next to the door.

Kankurou smirked at me, "What were you doing exactly?"

The sun was shining in through the window, casting rectangular slants of light against the opposite wall. I could see a million tiny dust particles floating, and I swished my hand through them before answering, "I was trying to make myself so unattractive that Lord Shino would be glad that I was breaking off the engagement. The maids were helping me."

"Oh," Kankurou said. I could feel them watching me, but I kept swishing the dust. I knew what they were thinking, because I had been thinking it myself.

"I don't think I will, though," I continued. "I feel like that would be cheating him. I wouldn't want to be disrespectful. He's really a nice person."

"What are you going to do, then?" Gaara asked. I turned to meet his eyes and smiled.

"I'll just go as myself. I won't dress up. I'll just wear plain, unadorned clothes, but I won't try to trick him. He doesn't deserve that. I don't want him to see me later on and realize that I had pulled the wool over his eyes. Or, worse, have my sheets burst out when I was with him."

"That sounds like a good idea, Ino," Gaara commended.

I nodded and then asked, "What was it that you wanted to speak with me about? Have you decided to come with after all, Gaara?"

"No, I still think it wouldn't be prudent for me to go along. Kankurou and I actually wanted to talk to you about Suzy," Gaara answered. "I think she should go with you."

"Would that be okay?" I asked.

"She has nightmares a lot, right? She doesn't like to be away from you, so she would be miserable the whole time you were gone. You're the only person she has now, and leaving might give her a sense of abandonment," Gaara said.

"Besides, she's your adopted daughter, not a biological daughter. The adoption had nothing to do with Gaara, so it wouldn't be rude to Lord Shino. I also think she should go, too," Kankurou added.

Originally Kankurou was supposed to take care of Suzume in my absence, for her safety and out of politeness to Lord Shino. I was glad that they were giving me permission to bring her along, because I was uneasy about the prospect of not having her with me. Our bond had only grown stronger as time passed from when I found her among the wake of the havoc caused by the Akatsuki. I loved her so much, like I had given birth to her myself, and it was hard to imagine life without her.

"I'm glad," I said, clasping my hands to my chest happily.

"Where is Suzy anyway?" Kankurou asked, looking around.

"She's with my father. He went to show her the birds singing and which berries are safe to eat." I said, fondly, "Suzy has him wrapped around her little finger."

"She has everyone wrapped around her finger," Gaara said with equal fondness.

We were all silent as we pictured Suzume running through the trees, pointing excitedly and singing back to the birds.

Kankurou was the first to break the silence, drumming his fingers against his arms, "Have you figured out what you're going to give to Lord Shino?"

I shrugged and looked back out the window. I had spent hours pondering what I should bring Lord Shino, but I couldn't think of any gift good enough. He had lost his father in the war against the Akatsuki…a war he wouldn't have been a part of if he hadn't been promised my hand in marriage. His alliance had been sealed over that betrothal, and here I was hoping to break it off so that I could marry the man I really loved.

"You're leaving in two days, you had better come up with something soon," Kankurou chided.

"I know, I know. Giving me a hard time about it will only make me anxious, though. So, leave me alone. I have enough pressure as it is," I said.

"You'll think of something," Gaara said with a confidence that made my own confidence swell and my back straighten.

"Ah, Ino's got that mushy look again, I had better run," Kankurou teased, smirking when I stuck my tongue out at him. "I have things I need to do anyway. I'm going to meet up with Konohamaru in town. See you at dinner."

"Good bye," I called after him. "I hope he's being a good influence on Konohamaru. That kid's a rascal enough already."

Gaara smiled, "Konohamaru is probably a better influence on Kankurou."

I laughed, "That's true."

We started walking, naturally gravitating towards our favorite perch: the bench by the window over the garden my mother used to always sit by. When we sat down, Gaara said, "I had two other things I wanted to talk to you about."

"Hm?"

"Firstly, I've found someone to go with you in my stead. I want to make sure you're safe, especially since my father has shown an interest in you."

I frowned, "Gaara, you've trained me. I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"I know, but I want you to be as protected as possible," Gaara said. When I continued to frown, he added, "Please, Ino. To placate me."

"Who will you be sending?" I asked, my pout melting at his unmasked concern.

"Konohamaru," Gaara answered.

"Ah, that explains why you two have been spending so much time sparring with him lately."

"He still feels guilty about contributing to your kidnapping and being the reason you have to break the engagement off with Lord Shino in the first place," Gaara said. "And, he will go as a servant. It will be perfectly polite."

I huffed in annoyance. Seriously, that kid. How many times did I have to tell him he had nothing to feel guilty about? If he hadn't pointed out how spoiled I was acting by being overtly picky about suitors, sure I wouldn't have agreed to marriage with Lord Shino, but I also would not have met Gaara. "I keep telling him that I was thankful for what he'd said, but he won't listen."

"Guilt is hard to shake," Gaara said with a small shrug.

I huffed again before asking, "What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?"

"My father's letter," Gaara said. He leaned back against the bench, lacing his fingers together in his lap. I was struck suddenly by how tired he looked. I ought to start messaging his temples again; the dark circles that had nearly vanished before were back with a vengeance. Ever since I had told my father I was in love with Gaara and fully intended to marry him or not marry at all, he had kept a closer eye on us. He wouldn't allow for me to be in his room after dinner, even when it was for innocent things like temple messages with lavender to encourage fuller sleep.

There were servants stationed outside of my room like guards at all hours of night. I had nearly died from surprise the first night I left my room and a servant materialized out of a deep shadow along the wall. He had giving me a straight look with no hint of a smile when he said, "Princess, you had better stay in your room. You need your sleep."

"I've been thinking about my father's request for a visit from us a lot," Gaara continued, pulling me from my thoughts. "We ought to go."

My eyes widened with surprise, "But…isn't that too dangerous?"

"If my father wants to harm us, he'll have people after us no matter where we go. Everywhere is dangerous. I think it'll be best to appease him and go," Gaara said, rubbing his fingers tiredly against his forehead. "But, not without conditions. I'll tell him that I will visit him only if he allows me to marry you."

I pressed my hand to my lips, a smile growing behind my fingers. "You mean it? You are certain?"

"Of course," Gaara answered without hesitation.

Eyes glossy with emotion, I leaned towards him and kissed just above his elbow, "I love you."

I giggled and kissed a bit higher on his arm. Then a bit higher…and, a bit higher…higher…until I had trailed kisses up his arm and over his shoulder When I passed the collar of his shirt and kissed the bare skin on his neck, he caught my face between his hands and lifted it. The intense expression on his face made me bite my lip.

"When we go…you have to be with me always. You can't ever leave my sight," Gaara said, his eyes moving back and forth as he studied my face.

Breathless, I could only manage a whisper, "I'll stay by you."

"Good," he said, pulling me closer and kissing me. It was sweet, gentle, and entirely too short. "I love you, too."

"I love you more."

I could hear the amused smile in his voice as he rested his head on mine, "Impossible." 

"_All days are nights to see till I see thee,  
>And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me."<em>  
>-Shakespeare, Sonnet 43<p>

**Notes: You have no idea how much research I had to do to write the opium bit at the beginning. My mom would be majorly concerned if she took a look at my internet history. xD  
><strong>

**Also, if you haven't read the first part of this story (Please Don't Hurt Me), I encourage you to please do, but I will do my best to make this story readable as a standalone as well.**

**I've got big, big plans. Be prepared, reader. Muhaha!**


	2. How heavy do I journey

A pale hand stretched out to me, soft except for calluses on the fingertips and touching my forehead. The sound of harp strings plucking. Sun shining through the gaps of trees in a forest, moving as I walked past, and water dripping from the leaves where the rain had collected earlier. The smell of freshly cut hay flooding my nostrils, the crunch of dried acorns breaking under my feet.

I bolted up, my blanket falling over the edge of the bed, and stumbled over to the mirrored vanity. I needed to hurry, before the insubstantial dreams left me and I couldn't remember my idea anymore. My hands were hard to control, still mostly asleep, and the pencil shook on the paper.

When I finished scrawling out my dream-given idea, I folded the paper and tucked it in the mirror corner so I could find it easily in the morning. Then, I shuffled back to bed and fell quickly back into the waiting arms of sleep.

.o0o.

"Ino," Gaara greeted, looking up at me as I approached them. Kankurou, Gaara, Konohamaru, and Suzume were sitting at the dining hall table. A map was lying in front of them, with spider webbed lines carefully marked to plot trade routes and the like. Suzy was surreptitiously wandering off her scrap paper and doodling on the edge of the map.

"Suzy, draw on your scrap paper, not the map," I admonished. Kankurou's eyes widened and he quickly pulled the edge of the map out of her reach and examined the damage. She had colored a big flower that looked like it was intended to be a daisy over the town of Utazo and had added her own trading line that looped back in on itself and ended abruptly in the ocean.

"I was helping!" Suzume exclaimed. Pointing at the objects as she mentioned them, she continued, "Look, this is where the meadow filled with flowers is. And, here is the road you take to get to it. It's a super secret meadow, so you can only find the way with this map."

Konohamaru leaned forward, "How do you know where the meadow is?"

"A fairy told me. The fairy had green hair that was so long it touched her ankles! I want to grow my hair out that long. And, her skin was brown like bark. She was like a tree. She told me that only girls who would promise to protect the meadow with their life could know where it was," Suzy answered, her brown curls bobbing as she bounced in her seat.

"You've been spending too much time with Kankurou," I said with a laugh. I moved her and the scrap paper a little further down the paper to keep the rest of the map safe, "Here, little songbird, draw me a beautiful map on here. Would you please? I would love to visit the meadow someday."

"Yes, Mama!"

She busily bent over her paper and began plotting out the map to the secret route, while I settled down in the chair Kankurou had pulled up between him and Gaara when they spotted me. With a sigh, I pulled out my own sheet of paper and spread it out on the table.

The men leaned in close to look at it. They studied it in silence for a few minutes. Konohamaru was the first to speak.

"Uh, what is it we're looking at?" he asked, turning his head as if he might be able to decipher it from another angle.

I sighed again, "This is my idea on what to give Lord Shino when I break off the engagement."

"I'm sorry, Ino, but this just looks like a bunch of scribbles," Kankurou said.

"That's the problem," I explained. "I dreamt about a good solution last night, and I got up in the middle of the night to write it down so I wouldn't forget. This is what I found when I woke up."

Gaara studied the paper again, "I think this is 'the'…I can't really make anything else out, though."

I dropped my head dejectedly on the table, "I wish I knew how to trigger the memory. I remember flashes of the dream. Something about a forest…but, nothing more than that. I'm not even sure if the forest is part of the idea, or just a random fragment."

"It will probably come back to you when you're in the middle of doing something else," Gaara said. "Memories are wont to do that."

Kankurou and Konohamaru nodded their agreeance.

I sat upright in my chair again, feeling better. Gaara really had gotten better at soothing people. I smiled proudly, touching his knee briefly and fondly under the table. Then, taking his words to heart, I turned to Konohamaru and asked, "So, you're my body guard?"

"Yes, mi'lady."

I wrinkled my nose.

"Princess?"

My nose wrinkle deepened into a scowl.

"Your Highness?"

"How about just Ino like usual?"

"I'm practicing at being your servant. Are you sure that you had studies? You're pretty dense sometimes."

Kankurou had a sudden bout of coughing that sounded suspiciously like it was covering laughter. I narrowed my eyes at him in silent warning.

"I assure you, I have had studied far more than most," I said. A picture of Shikamaru and I sitting on the balcony and deciphering lines of cramped writing surfaced. "It just feels weird."

To be honest, adjusting back to castle life had been both comfortingly familiar and weird. I had gained a great deal of independence, and it seemed strange to have maids do things for me that I was perfectly able to do on my own, now. I had spent most of my time with friends that were close and called me by my Christian name, that I found I didn't really like the sound of Lady Ino or any of the other titles anymore.

"Which would you prefer me to call you most?"

"Lady Ino, I suppose."

"Lady Ino it is."

We talked more about traveling plans – what would be packed, how long the visit would be, which route we would take – and then I left with Suzume to find a nook to practice. It'd been a while since I played the flute, and I needed something to get my mind off the deep-rutted path it been revolving on since my father told me I had to come up with something to compensate Lord Shino's sacrifice. Nothing seemed good enough.

Sighing for what had to be the millionth time that day, I rolled my shoulders and lifted the instrument to my lips. I ran through a couple of scales before playing in earnest. Suzume ceased her idle pretending and turned to watch me with rapt attention and wide eyes.

"I know this song," she smiled. Closing her eyes and clasping her hands, she sang, "_Sed super mel et ómnia. Ejus dúlcis præséntia._"

I stopped playing and raised my eyebrows at her in disbelief, "How do you know that song?"

"We used to live next to the church. Old Mama and I went there every Sunday and I could hear them singing every night. I liked to sing with them," she said.

"That's really impressive, Suzy. Your pronunciation is accurate," I said.

She grinned, pleased with my praising tone though she didn't understand what I had said, "What is pronunciation?"

"It's how you say words. The words you are singing is in a different language and you said them exactly right."

"Woah!" she exclaimed, beaming.

"Yes," I said with a laugh. I raised the flute again and continued the song. She sang again, her voice falling and climbing with ease. Singing along with the monks had taught her to sing skillfully. I was in awe.

I played and she sang until dinner. I still hadn't remembered my wonderful idea I had dreamt. Dinner was a merry affair. Konohamaru had stayed, Kankurou was particularly funny, and Suzy told the silliest stories. I still hadn't remembered my wonderful idea I had dreamt. I dismissed my maids and dressed in a silk nightgown on my own. I still hadn't remembered my wonderful idea I had dreamt.

It was frustrating. I kept reminding myself what Gaara said, that it would come back to me eventually. But, I couldn't stop from turning over in my bed and pounding the pillow with a tightly clutched fist.

.o0o.

I was in the forest again. The sun was setting and the shadows were lengthening. Rapidly lengthening. Much too fast to be natural. I stepped away from the shadow as it neared my foot. It moved towards me faster and I began to scramble backwards, fear making my breath short and my heartbeat quick.

The darkness of the shadow deepened and the two dimensional thing solidified, a body stretching out of the outline and filling out. A rumbling growl sounded loud in my ears as the figure hunched over. The figure moved closer, its face leaning towards mine. I was split between having a deadly curiosity about the identity of the figure and a desperate, panicking instinct to run far away.

I never did either, instead waking up in my bed, sweating and tangled in sheets. I untangled myself and shakily crawled to sit on the edge of my bed. Wiping the sweat from my cheeks and forehead, I discovered that I had been crying.

I didn't think that I could go back to sleep. The nature of my nightmare…the shadows and the loneliness…I was frightened even in my own room. Making a decision, I stood and went to where Suzy was. She was still sleeping on the couch where she had fallen asleep earlier in the night.

She often woke up in the middle of the night, something I had been doing pretty often myself lately, and I didn't want her to wake up to an empty room, so I picked her up. She shifted in my arms and smacked her lips a few times, but then wrapped her arms around my neck and was sleeping soundly again.

I crept quietly out of my room. Like previous times, a servant stepped forward at the sound of my door. I inclined my head at Suzy in my arms and said, "I'm stepping out to get some fresh air. Suzy wakes up a lot and I don't want her to be scared, so I'm bringing her with me."

The servant looked slightly dubious so I added, "I've had a pretty nasty nightmare, so I need to clear my head."

Looking more sympathetic, the servant went back to resting against the wall. I walked down the hall towards the door nearest the garden. After walking that way for a while, I doubled back and went down another hall. I didn't see any servants out and about, which was fine by me. It only made things easier.

I paused outside my destination, giving myself a moment to change my mind. I felt paranoid, like every shadow contained a figure like the one from the nightmare. Suzy sniffled into my ear and I jumped violently. That was all I needed to seal my decision.

Trying to keep quiet, I turned the knob at slow increments and eased the door open. Even with my mostly silent entry, Gaara woke up and sleepily asked, "Yes?"

When he saw that it was Suzume and I standing in his doorway, lit dimly by a torch further down in the hallway, he said, "Ino."

My name. It was his simple greeting, but I loved when he said it. I shut the door behind me and carefully settled Suzy on the side of the bed he wasn't sleeping on. He watched me with surprisingly alert eyes, considering that I had just woke him.

After tucking Suzy in and making sure she was comfortably settled, I climbed over her and sidled up to Gaara.

"I'm sorry to bother you in the middle of the night," I said, clutching onto his nightshirt. "I had a nightmare and I didn't think I could fall back to sleep on my own."

"It's fine," Gaara said. "What happened in your nightmare?"

I described the nightmare to him, already feeling sleepy again from his warmth and the comfort of his presence. "I don't know. I just have this foreboding feeling about leaving. I used to want to leave this castle and do _anything_. But, now I'm afraid to leave. Even though Deidara's dead and a lot of the Akatsuki are dead, there is this tension in my chest."

Gaara pulled me closer, encircling me in his arms.

"I'll protect you, Ino," he said. "And, Konohamaru, too. I trust him."

That's what I needed to hear. Feeling properly comforted, I fell asleep with my head on his chest and a smile on my face. I slept well, waking up feeling refreshed and happy. I rolled over and was met with the sight of Suzy sleeping on my couch again. Gaara must have carried me back to my room.

I stretched. I wondered how Gaara had explained himself to the servants guarding my door. Maybe he said he found me asleep in the garden. How long had I slept in his bed? With a private, embarrassed smile, I imagined what it would be like to wake up beside him.

After burying my face in the blanket and giggling like a little girl, I started to get dressed for the day. The maids would be upset. They always were when I dressed and took care of things myself, feeling like I wasn't satisfied with them.

I admired my appearance in the vanity mirror, pleased that I had managed to tie my hair up and look presentable. That was when it hit me. I remembered my idea. The maids entered at the same moment. I gestured towards Suzy, asked them to take care of her please, and rushed out of the room.

With my skirts hiked up and an ecstatic expression, I'm sure I warranted every last double take I received but I didn't care. Bursting into the dining hall, I found the men gathered around the table like before.

"I remembered!" I shouted. Lowering my voice, I continued, "I can't believe I didn't think of this before. Our kingdom has several very talented woodworkers. We actually gain quite a bit of revenue from them because they are some of the very best. Well, most of our wood comes from Shino's region. If we bring these woodworkers and have them live in Wakamatsu for a while to take on apprentices…that could potentially bring a lot of profit to his kingdom. He could make even more money than us, because he wouldn't need to import wood."

There was a moment of silence as they stared at me and took in what I said.

"That's good," Kankurou said quietly with shock.

"We would have to find the woodworkers who would be willing to go," I said. "And, we would need to pass it with my father."

"I'm sure he will," Gaara said.

"I remembered when I was getting ready, because my vanity was made by them," I explained, feeling light with giddiness. Gaara gave me a proud I-knew-you-could-do-it smile and there was this sudden magnetic-type pull. I couldn't help rushing across the room and planting a kiss on those smiling lips.

"Ino!" Kankurou said exasperatedly, standing up to vacate the room like he always did when I showed affection to his brother. Konohamaru looked at us curiously, like he was waiting for us to kiss again, but Kankurou dragged him out of the room.

"Your brother is easy to get rid of," I said with a satisfied smirk. I leaned forward and kissed him again, my arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders. "Did you carry me back to my room?"

Gaara nodded, "This morning, a little after the sun came up. I didn't want you to get in trouble with your father."

"I didn't mean to be a burden."

"Don't worry. You weren't…I didn't mind carrying you," he said. He took my left hand and held it up between us, "You're wearing the ring on the wedding finger."

"I'm excited, I couldn't wait any longer." I said, smiling. "I'll take it off when I get to Wakamatsu."

He smiled back, "You're in an especially good mood today."

"Everything seems to be going perfectly," I chirped, slumping back into my own chair and shifting through the papers on the table. The map was there again, along with the letter from Lord Shino letting us know he awaited our visit, the signed treaty between those alliance with my father, and other things I didn't look at too closely.

"Unfortunately I have something for you that will probably ruin that," Gaara said. My head snapped up and I saw that he was holding a letter. The back of it was to me, but I could see that the envelope was still sealed. I leaned forward to see the details of the seal and sighed when I recognized it. "I wish I didn't have to give it to you. We can be optimistic and hope that it is good news."

"Doubtful," I muttered, though I clutched to that hope as well. The letter was from Sasuke. I had written him about a fortnight ago, highlighting all the reasons that he could not marry Tenten, my good friend who was in love with Lord Neji. I begged him, tried to explain for Tenten (without giving away too much personal information, of course), and even tried bribing him.

I broke the seal and removed the letter. The paper was thick, expensive parchment and I had a bad feeling before opening it. My suspicions were confirmed when I spread the paper out on the table to find spidery letters inviting me to a wedding.

_Lady Yamanaka,_

_You and your family are cordially invited to the uniting of Lady Tenten and Lord Sasuke in marriage on the summer solstice._

_Regards,_

_Lord Sai_

Bitterly disappointed, I hated Sasuke. I had never hated Sasuke before, not even when he had treated me coldly after his parents died, but at that moment, I had absolutely zero fondness for him. I wondered if I would ever like him again. I hoped I could at some point.

For now, I was content with hating him.

"He didn't even take the time to respond himself," I said, my voice low with the resentment I couldn't hide even if I wanted to. "He had his cousin, Lord Sai, write back. My letter to him had been three pages long, and he had his cousin write me a line. A _line_. It's so terse, it's rude."

"He's going on with the wedding?"

"It will be on the solstice," I answered, passing the letter over to him.

"Lord Sai," Gaara said. The thoughtful tone in his voice had me sitting up in my seat, the hope swelling up in my chest again. "He's the one who is in charge of the land Sasuke inherited from his aunt when Sasuke isn't there, right?"

"Yes, Shimabara."

"He must have a lot of influence there. You should write Lord Sai and try to sway him to your side. While you're at it, you ought to write to the nobles in both kingdoms. Sasuke may be in charge of them, but if they all unite against the marriage, he'll be forced to listen. Angry nobles are an inconvenience," Gaara said.

I couldn't help but laugh at the last part, "You sound like you have some experience there."

"Keeping the nobles happy is a problem my father has. He does things and then worries about others' opinions afterwards," Gaara answered. "Sometimes my father would send me to threaten them back into line."

"Ah," I said. The more I learned about Gaara's father, the more I disliked the man. He was selfish, manipulating, and just plain mean. My heart ached for Gaara…he never had the chance to have a loving relationship with his parents like I did. What was worse, having a beloved parent die, or to never have a bond with your parent at all? I remembered my promise to give Gaara the affection he'd never received before.

I took his hand, "I'll write to the nobles. But, I think it's easy to dismiss someone you've never met. After I finish my visit with Lord Shino, I think I would like to go to Shimabara. I want to get there before it's too close to the marriage. We ought to focus on Shimabara, because the castle Sasuke is staying on will be too difficult to sway. That's where his influence is the heaviest."

"I agree," Gaara said. "That is a good plan."

"You'll go with me?"

"I will," he said.

Pleased, I began drafting my response to Lord Sai.

.o0o.

"My little princess…leaving me again already," my father said, getting teary. I hoped he wouldn't cry. Because, if he did, I was sure to start. "Why can't you just stay inside the castle like before? I have half a mind to lock you in your bedroom."

"Locking me in only makes me want to leave even more. That's what started everything in the first place, you know. Not to mention, you're the one who's making me visit Lord Shino. It's not too late. We can still break off the engagement through a letter," I said.

My father looked too chastised, so I, feeling quite guilty, softened the blow, "I'm not serious, Father. I love you and I know that you kept me in the castle for my own protection. Everything that's happened so far in my life has been good, because I've met Gaara and my friends through that. The only thing that is your fault is my happiness. And, I know that breaking the engagement through a letter would be wildly inappropriate. So, do smile. I don't want to leave with your sad face in my memory. I'll be worried."

His smile was still unforthcoming, so I jabbed in the ribs. "You'll be glad to get me out of your hair, won't you? You won't have to set guards up to keep an eye on Gaara and me."

Finally he cracked a smile. Pulling me into a tight embrace, he squeezed the air out of me and promised me to behave. Behave? I always behaved. It wasn't my fault that trouble always found me. It must be making up for all of those years that I had lived uneventfully, but safely, in the castle after my mother had died.

"Here's a necklace," he said abruptly, walking around me to help fasten the clasp. It was a silver chain with a blue gem that fell heavily between my collar bones. I turned it over in my hand, wondering where I had seen it before.

"Father, I'm supposed to be dressing plainly. Unadorned," I said, though the necklace was lovely. Too lovely. I didn't want to seem like I was trying to impress or show off. "Lord Shino might think it was a gift from Gaara."

"I think you're being too paranoid. If he says anything, tell him that it had been your mother's favorite necklace and that I gave it to you before you left. It is the truth, after all," he said. That's where I recognized it from! "Besides, you're wearing the necklace with the shells on it."

"But, I always where this necklace," I said. The necklace that had originally held my mother's ring and I had added my father's ring and two shells to it during the adventure I had inadvertently gone on, now only had the shells on it. My mother's ring was on a necklace around Gaara's neck and I returned my father's to him months ago.

"It matches well with the shells," my father continued, not realizing that I had already decided that I would wear the necklace once I had found out it had been my mother's. I liked feeling close to her, even if it was only through things she had possessed. Wearing her necklace was like having her hand on my shoulder. Or, at least the closest thing to it that I could achieve in this life.

"I'll wear it, Father," I said. He placed his hand on my shoulder as if he could read my thoughts. I didn't say anything else for several moments afterwards, my throat too choked with unspent tears to speak.

I did end up crying, saying goodbye to everyone as they gathered to see my group off. The two maids who had stuffed a couple of sheets into my dress were accompanying me, along with a group of soldiers and Konohamaru.

Gaara gave Konohamaru a level look, "Take good care of her."

"I will," he said, placing a hand over his heart in a solemn promise.

Then, I climbed into the carriage with Suzume and the guards assembled around me and we were off.

I watched the castle grow smaller and smaller until it seemed to disappear, unable to shake my uneasy feeling.

_"How heavy do I journey on the way,__  
><em>_When what I seek, my weary travel's end,__  
><em>_Doth teach that ease and that repose to say,__  
><em>_'Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend!'  
>…My grief lies onward, and my joy behind."<br>__Shakespeare, Sonnet 50_

_**Notes: Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! (:  
>I was going to say something else, but I've forgotten. Oops.<br>Please review, though! (:**_


	3. The Time is Out of Joint

A young woman sat on her porch, knitting needles clicking as she worked on a pair of socks. The old pair was hanging over the railing, occasionally swaying in the weak, but pleasant, breeze. She wasn't paying too much attention to her surroundings, focusing instead on the pattern she was forming on the heel of the sock. She hadn't grown up with much, and something as simple as having patterned socks to warm her heels was a luxury to her.

Standing next to the wall of the house was a man. He was silent, watching her as she worked. He didn't really consider himself a liker of people, but he found himself somewhat fond of this woman. She was irritating like most women, but she did a pretty good job of following orders. And, she was so easy to please. How do you think she got the yarn to make the pretty patterned socks she was working on?

The man cleared his throat, and the girl instantly stilled. He couldn't hide the grin that always worked its way onto his face at her paranoia. He didn't know the back story, and knew that she was probably so frightened of men because of a horrible event that happened in the past, but he found her reactions…cute.

She slowly turned around, as if she dreaded who she might find to be the source of the masculine cough. When she saw it was him, her whole body relaxed and she even sighed. That wasn't a reaction he typically garnered.

"D-Daikirai," she said, instantly wiping the smile from his face.

"Don't stumble over my name," he chastised.

She stood quickly, dropping the sock she was knitting on her chair and nodding jerkily. There was the fear that he was used to. "Daikirai, where have you been? I was…worried."

"Worried? About me?" he asked. He approached her, his boots making the stairs creak in horribly loud manner. He could tell that she was struggling to not shy away.

"Y-yes. You weren't completely healed when you left. You should have st-stayed longer," she said, dropping her eyes so that she didn't seem challenging.

He touched her cheek, causing her to jump. Sighing, he told her, "Don't be so frightened all the time."

She looked up at him, blinking quickly as if in effort to control herself. A deer. She reminded him so much of a deer. If she were a deer, would that mean he was the hunter who tricked the doe with a call?

"I try not to be," she said. She was so broken. He knew he should feel sorry for her. That he should want to fix her. But, to be honest, he liked people to be broken. They were far more tolerable that way. Unbidden, another person he'd like to see broken came to mind. Scowling in annoyance, he grabbed the woman's elbow and pulled her into the house after him.

"What was your name again?" he asked. He had spent a couple of months with her before, but she was so quiet it was hard to remember.

"Kega," she answered in what resembled a whimper. She didn't like to be pulled around, but she didn't say anything. Which is why he did it. She was far too permissive for her own good. That's probably why whatever happened to break her took place.

"That's right. Kega. I have something to tell you about," he said, plopping down on the only piece of furniture in the room – the bed – and pushing her to sit on the floor across from him. She fell hard on her backside, but did nothing besides gather her knees close to her chest and shake her head 'no' to answer his question. "What, you're not even going to attempt to guess? Don't ruin my fun."

"Ah…is it something about your trip? To see Lord Kazekage?" she asked obediently.

"Exactly Kega-dear! I knew you would guess it! You know what else I think you know?" he asked, leaning down so that he was at the same eye level.

"No, what else?"

"I think you know something about the new members of the Akatsuki," he said.

She averted her eyes, looking at the wall. He knew it. Carefully masking his face with an indifferent look, he ordered her, "Tell me."

Not looking away from the wall she said, "A man has come around. He's been searching for fighters who are dissatisfied with the royal family. He wants them to join to reform the Akatsuki. He says this team will be better than the last."

"Some of the old Akatsuki are still alive," Daikirai said.

She shook her head 'no' again, "No, they're all dead."

"Come here," he ordered. Immediately she picked herself up and stood at his knees. "Did the man recruit anyone from here?"

"Yes, a lot of the men." She said. "They are tired of empty stomachs. Here, towards the forest, we are neglected by Lord Sasuke."

"Were any of the recruits intended for the higher levels of the Akatsuki?"

Her eyes suddenly became wide with fear and she swallowed nervously before saying, "Yes. A bad man."

He studied her for a second, "The man who made you like this?"

"He's a very bad man," she said, shuddering.

"Does he visit here often?"

"Yes," she answered, crying now.

He ignored her tears, "Does he know about me?"

She shook her head.

"Good. Keep it that way."

She nodded.

"I want you to tell me all that he tells you. It's important," Daikirai said, pulling her closer. "But, let's not talk for a while."

.o0o.

I leaned against the side of the carriage and looked out the window. The trip had been pretty uneventful so far. Without Temari or Matsuri, there were no tricks to watch out for and I could relax completely. And, with the Akatsuki mostly taken care of and Sakura not a threat anymore, there was no one to attack our carriage.

My days have been filled with lazy conversation with the wives of the master woodworkers and telling stories to the anxious Suzume. She didn't like being confined to the carriage, so sometimes she could be a handful.

Today was no different. I wish that I had thought to bring more books along, but I wasn't accustomed to so much silence. There was nothing to distract me from the hard pit of anxiety in my stomach. Yes, I had decided to label the feeling as anxiety, when before it had just been a bad feeling, because it had stuck around for so long. Nothing had happened. I should be glad, right?

But, I wasn't glad. I was on edge…wondering when the bad thing was going to happen. Would it happen while I was visiting Lord Shino? Or later on?

Maybe I was just being silly. Maybe I'm just worked up because I've never gone anywhere yet where nothing has happened. I just need to take a deep breath and will the feeling to go…

Suddenly the carriage was lurching to the side. I braced my arm against the wall I had been leaning against and reached out to grab Suzume. I missed her arm by a few inches and she fell heavily to the wall beside me.

The carriage was tipping over, rolling and rolling. I couldn't tell which way we were going, or even how many times we spun. A elbow caught me in the eye. Everyone was yelling. I was trying to find Suzume, but my one eye refused to open and everything was tumbling everywhere. Suzume was sobbing. One of the wives was shouting about her arm.

The tumbling finally stopped. I landed on my shoulder, wincing as the rest of my body found the hard roof of the carriage. From the windows, all I could see was the tall grass. We were off the path, somewhere in the fields. I realized that it wasn't weedy grass but wheat.

I tried to make sense of what had just happened, but my body ached and I felt lightheaded.

"Suzume?" I asked.

One of the wives groaned, "What happened?"

"We're going to die here, aren't we?" another said.

"Suzume?" I asked again, a little louder. Covering my injured eye and looking around with the other, I forced myself to sit up.

"I think I broke my arm," someone said right next to me. I turned to look her and quickly turned away again. Her arm was definitely broken. I sternly told my stomach not to get sick.

"Mama?" Suzume asked, crawling into my lap. She was bruised and cut, but my inspection found no serious injuries. Thank goodness.

"Why didn't you answer me? I was…," I was going to say frightened, but I didn't want her to be, so I changed direction mid-sentence, "…is everyone alright?"

No one got the chance to answer my question, as the carriage door swung open and a couple of heavily armored men stepped into the upturned carriage.

"Get up," one of the men ordered gruffly.

I was relieved to see that we could all stand, even the wife with the broken arm. She had noticed the injury, but was still in shock and only hugged it close to her.

"Why did you tip my carriage?" I demanded, still holding my injured eye with one hand, and Suzume's hand with my other. More importantly, where were woodworkers, Konohamaru and the other guards? Were they safe? Were they alive? I looked out the window, but I couldn't see anything but the wheat.

"You must be the 'princess'?" the man deducted with a sneer.

Frowning and holding myself straighter despite the aches, I said, "Why do you say it like that? I am the princess. And, I demand to know why I am being attacked on Lord Shino's land when he is anticipating my arrival?"

"Where's your proof? Did you bring the letter he sent you?" the man asked, still sneering.

"No," I said. Now I was panicking. I hadn't thought I needed to bring the letter. Were we all going to die because of this mistake? "I didn't bring the letter because I wasn't aware that I would be attacked thusly. I have met with Lord Shino. He should recognize me. Bring me to him, and you will see that I really am who I say that I am."

The second man shifted, "This lady does look more like a princess than the previous one. And, the child matches the description better."

"Silence," the other man said. "This is a trap."

"A trap? What is all of this about another princess? What is going on?"

The second man shifted again, but didn't say anything else.

The first one gave me a measured look and then said, "I think you're an imposter. A very good imposter. But, on the chances you are really Lady Ino, I will take you, and only you, to the castle. If Lord Shino verifies that you are who you say you are, then I will send for the rest of your company."

"I won't leave without my company," I said. I didn't trust for them to be out of my sight.

"It's either you go alone, or you all die," the first man said, shrugging as if he could careless either way.

"Fine," I said, my grip tightening on Suzy's hand. "But I refuse to go without this little girl. And, I want one of my guards to go with me."

"No."

"I won't go then," I said. "What is a little girl to a group of soldiers? And, I require the guard for my own sense of security. My father told me to always keep one near me. I have been kidnapped once before and he should like it to remain once."

"We will let you bring the girl and a guard," the first man said after a moment of consideration. He turned to the second and ordered, "Go fetch a guard."

We were silent as the second man left the carriage and hiked up the incline we had just rolled down. We must have rolled a long way, because it was several minutes before he returned with another soldier to help restrain the guard. Like I suspected, the man had chosen Konohamaru. Out of my guards, he was the youngest and smallest. I tried to hide my relief on their choice, not wanting to give them any reason to be suspicious.

"How dare you! You bruised the Princess' eye!" Konohamaru shouted angrily, struggling against the men holding him.

"Stop!" I cut in. "Don't fight. Let's just go to Lord Shino quickly so we can clear this up."

Konohamaru quit struggling and nodded.

More men entered the carriage to pull Suzume and me out. My hands were bound behind my back with rope and I reflected sadly on how similar it was to my time with the Akatsuki. The only thing was missing was Deidara and a horse for me to lie on my stomach across.

But, thankfully, the soldiers didn't throw me across the back of a saddle, but led me to another carriage. Suzume and Konohamaru were pushed in after me. Konohamaru was the only one of us with hands that weren't tied, and he still had his sword. I was thankful for that, too, though I marveled at their confidence.

Suzume leaned against me and fell asleep, too exhausted to ask for an explanation or cry. Konohamaru seethed the whole way to the castle, his body rigid, but said nothing. We were too afraid they would think we were planning something to speak.

I looked out the window, like before, and wondered what Gaara was doing. At this point, before, he had always shown up. From the river, when I was in the tent, in the barn, from Karin, from Deidara…he had always managed to save me at the last minute, when I most needed it.

But, I knew there was wouldn't be coming this time. It was all up to me this time. I would make him proud. Thinking this, I was able to smile for the first time since the carriage lurched to the side. I would figure this all out. We would be okay.

It was a long ride to the castle. About an hour. The smile faded pretty quickly from my face once my thoughts had turned to the well being of the ones I left behind in the carriage and I worried about them for the rest of the trip.

The carriage had to pass through three thick walls, each gap between filled with town houses and market place, before it stopped in front of the main doors to the castle. The castle was grand and there were needle-leaf trees everywhere. I had noticed that coniferous trees outnumbered deciduous more the farther North we traveled.

The soldiers warned us that, "Any suspicious movements or actions would result in an immediate arrow through the heart," and then dragged us from the carriage and into the castle, several bows trained on each of us. Even Suzy.

As we were led in the direction of what I assumed was the throne room, I noticed that Lord Shino had a fascination for insects. They were in all of his decorations. It seemed that it was a sort of family mascot. _Interesting_, I thought disconnectedly.

When we entered the throne room – turns out I was correct – Lord Shino stood up quickly, displeasure evident in his expression, "Lady Ino!"

Giving the soldiers a snarky upturn of my nose, I held my arms out to be released. They cut the ties from Suzy's and my wrists with shamed faces. Rubbing my wrists, I faced Lord Shino and said, "Please have them send for my company. I know that at least one of them is seriously injured."

Lord Shino sent a soldier to do so and then called for us to come closer. When we were standing in front of the throne and he had seated himself again, I said, coolly, "Your men tipped my carriage."

"I'm sorry, I know that their actions were inexcusable, but I hope that you can forgive us," he said in his reserved way of speaking.

"Why?"

He seemed a bit shocked, "Well, because we have an alliance…and I'm betrothed to you…"

"No. Why did they tip the carriage?"

"Because, three days ago, someone tried to enter my castle pretending to be you," Lord Shino said, reclining back his throne. He seemed relieved, maybe from my cooperation and willingness to listen. "Did you see our walls on the way in? We have three walls, and if we were to be attacked, we can withdraw inside the castle and live for a few months before we would be in danger of starving. So, if anyone was to attack…if they wanted to finish us off quickly, they would have to infiltrate and defeat us within the walls before we knew there was a threat. My soldiers, and I will admit myself, were on edge after the attack. I told them to be cautious. Though, I did not tell them to attack."

"I thought the Akatsuki had been dealt with. Is this someone else?" I asked.

Shino shrugged, "We don't know who it is. All we know is that they killed a lot of my men."

Lord Shino was hard to read. He wasn't a bad person, at least I don't think he was, but he made me nervous. He covered most of his face and his voice was so level that I couldn't tell what he made of my visit.

Beside me Suzume yawned, having been woken up when we had gotten out of the carriage. I picked her up, ignoring the jolts of pain from my earlier treatment. "We're tired. Could we rest for now and talk later?"

Lord Shino waved his hand in a gesture that sent several maids scuttling from their posts at the wall to accompany us.

"Please send someone for me when my company arrives," I said, and then followed the maids down the twisting halls. When we arrived to my room, Konohamaru protested some, wanting to stand outside my door, but I told him to go rest some.

"I'm sorry that you got hurt," he apologized. "It seems I can't do anything right by you."

I offered him a smile, "It's okay. I'm not hurt that bad. Everyone seems to be alive and okay."

He nodded, but still looked guilty as he continued on his way to the rooms that were intended for the guard.

Left alone, Suzume and I sank onto the bed with matching sighs.

"Mama," she sniffled, tears flirting at the edges of her hazel eyes. "My everything hurts."

"I know, my little song bird, I'm sorry," I said, pulling her close to me. She fell asleep quickly again after a few more sniffles, but I couldn't.

I was too busy worrying about what I had to tell Lord Shino. I just felt like we were in a very precarious situation. I didn't know if I should wait for things to calm down before I told him that I was breaking off the engagement, or do it quickly before he spent too much of his supplies housing us?

I didn't know, and the feeling of anxiety rolling about in my stomach like I had in the carriage an hour ago hadn't gone away. What if the worse hadn't happened yet? The bad feeling had been right so far. Something had wrong had happened. But, had that happened because of my bad feeling? Had I caused it to happen by thinking about something going wrong so much?

I touched my bruised eye tenderly, crying at how much it ached and how scared I was.

I wish Gaara were here. He would know what to do and he would take care of everything. I just wanted to be with him right now.

I missed him so much.

"_The time is out of joint; O cursed spite,  
>That ever I was born to set it right!"<br>Hamlet, Act I, scene v_


	4. What Men Dare Do

"Your Highness, it is morning. Please wake up so we can get you ready."

I stretched and forced my good eye open to see my maid Katsumi leaning over me. Though her mouth was set in its usual mischievous twist, there was a nervous tension in her forehead. I didn't understand the reasoning until she said, "You have a visitor, Milady."

Standing behind her next to the taller maid was a regal lady with her dark hair twisted in a neat bun. Though her appearance was meticulous, there wasn't a single wrinkle in her dress and the creases seemed sharp enough to cut, her face was kind and open.

"Hello, Lady Ino," the mystery woman greeted, inclining her head gracefully. "I'm Lady Aburame."

This was Lord Shino's mother? She was gorgeous. If he looked anything like her under his glasses, hood, and shirt collar, then it was a shame he covered up. He would most likely be married to someone else already if he showed his face and I wouldn't be in this mess.

I slipped out of bed, my limbs feeling thick and awkward with sleep. Once I was standing, Lady Aburame inclined her head again, "I will let you change. We can speak when you're done."

"Yes, thank you," I said, nervously wiping my palms on my nightdress. After speaking with Shino last night and making sure that my company was all settled in, I had been plagued with self doubt and fear that I couldn't sleep well. I was still feeling unsure about my place here and what my reception would be after I broke the engagement.

She left the room, her skirts rustling behind her, and waited for outside the guest bed chambers. I looked to my maids to see what they thought, but Katsumi only shrugged. The taller one smiled reassuringly and started on my hair.

When I was dressed, Lady Aburame stood from her chair and clasped her hands together happily, "I have so much planned for today. Look at your skin; it's so beautiful and creamy! Come with me!"

I did as she asked, wondering at what she had said. Her compliment struck me as odd and unbidden images of her removing my skin and hanging it in a shed had me gesturing for my maids to follow me.

She brought me to a room unlike any I had been in before. There were no windows and the room was dimly lit, making it hard to discern the subject of the murals painted on the walls. Along the edge of the room were tables lined up end to end and covered with varied shaped bottles and baskets holding plants. Perhaps the strangest thing was a large pit full of what looked like mud that was wafting a thick smoky scent in the center of the room.

"This is my special room, the healing room," Lady Aburame explained. "This is where I care for my skin and do my therapy."

"Therapy?" I echoed, still distracted by the mud pit. Why did it smell like smoke? Was it burning? It did look warm.

"I suffer often from migraines," she answered. Then, putting a hand on my shoulder, she encouraged me to step further into the room. "Let me take a look at your injury."

I turned my face up so she could inspect the black eye. Even though she was gentle, when her fingers touched the swelling, I jerked away in pain. Tsking, she led me over to a chair.

"I'm really sorry that this happened," she said, sadly. A maid brought over a bowl of water that smelled like herbs and set it at my feet. Wringing out the wash cloth that was floating in the bowl, she continued, "Shino is really upset about it. He says that if you want the soldiers punished, he will order it."

Shocked, I shook my head, "Oh, no. Don't punish them. They were only trying to protect their royal family. I can understand that and don't hold it against them."

Lady Aburame smiled, "He thought you would say that."

His positive appraisal of my character flattered me and I began to relax to her careful, soothing administrations. She washed my face with the herbal water before having me stripped down to my shift and spreading a mask made from strawberries and honey on my skin, putting extra on the bruised areas.

Using different concoctions of fruits, vegetables, and herbs, Lady Aburame buffed, moisturized, cleansed, and spoiled me until I was pink-skinned and soft. Feeling considerably better than the day before, I left the room with her and she showed me the beauty hiding in the stern fortress of a castle.

For the rest of my visit, I met with her in the healing room in the mornings. She would teach me different techniques for healthy, beautiful skin and show me some simple cures for ailments like cramps, scrapes, cuts, and migraines. On the third day, my curiosity about the mud pit was finally satisfied, when we sunk into it with an avocado and oil mix holding our hair up and out of the way. It was warm and she explained that it was heated from a fire below, but the pit had a smoky smell because it contained volcanic ash in it, which is supposed to have good healing properties.

The small little room seemed strange and fantastic hidden away in the castle, and I allowed it to distract me from my worries for a while. I went to bed every night in a cloud of herbal and fruity scents, my skin softer than the silk sheets and a smile on my face. However, I knew I eventually had to talk to Lord Shino. And, it would be better sooner than later, since I did have to meet Gaara and head to Shimabara. On the sixth night, I decided that I had to talk with Lord Shino the very next day, whether or not I felt that I was ready.

.o0o.

Rain, thick and cold, fell like a curtain just outside the protection of the doorway I stood in. The castle gardens were so rain drenched that the flowers were drowning in great puddles because the water wasn't absorbing into the ground anymore. I had planned on going out to the garden, seeking the home-like comfort I got from being surrounded by flowers before I went to talk to Lord Shino.

I had been here for a week now. A week of small talk, grand meals, entertainment, the healing room, and attempted atonement for the carriage incident. I had been working the courage up to tell him the message I traveled all this way, and now I decided that I couldn't wait any longer. Even with that realization, here I was standing in the doorway, gazing sadly at the gardens that I had hoped would bolster my courage, though they were simple and not nearly as extensive as mine back home were.

Panic was filling my chest, my hands shaking with worry. I didn't want to hurt Lord Shino. It had not been fun telling Sasuke no, and I wasn't excited to repeat the conversation. At least I knew that Lord Shino wasn't in love with me. He had invested a lot in our betrothal…his father's life, money, troops…but he had not put in his feelings. I was thankful for that.

"Lady Ino?"

I turned and found Lord Shino, as if my thinking had summoned him, watching me. I would say that from the tilt of his head and his stance that he was curious, but I couldn't be too sure. Curse those glasses and jacket collar!

"Hello, Lord Shino," I said, willing my heart to calm down. I was Princess Ino! I didn't know the meaning of fear. I was skilled with talking. I had done this before, I could do it again.

"I know that you like gardens. I wish I had remembered to tell you that it would be the rainy season here," Lord Shino said. How had he known? He saw my face and added, "Forgive me, I have heard about you from your father, and I also have learned about you from rumors."

"Rumors?" I said. "Then you might have some idea what I have to tell you?"

He nodded, "I think I know, but I will listen to what you need to say without interruption."

I had a sudden urge to cry, feeling nervous and guilty at the same time. I nodded and said, "I want to start with apologizing. You have put some much into our betrothal, but I regret that I have come to ask for you that we break it."

I paused, expecting him to say something, but he remained silent like he promised.

"I brought with me a few things that I hope will make up for the sacrifices you've made. The first being the men in my company. They are a few of our wood masters. I have brought them because I know that you have a good supply of wood here. With them, you could make a tidy profit in trade with other countries."

Reaching into the small bag I was carrying with me, I pulled out a scroll and handed it over to him, "The second is this. It's a treaty signed by both my father and Lord Kankurou. It basically details that our alliance will still be just as strong as if you'd married me. If anything happens that you should need us, even if you're to blame, we will come to your aid. It also has Lord Kankurou's promise of alliance. He isn't the king yet, but he is the Crown Prince. When he takes over, he promises the same things as my father. All it need is your signature, too. Read it over, first, to ensure it's good for you. This will leave you open to build another strong alliance through a different marriage…or maybe the chance to marry for love."

He was silent for a few moments, absorbing everything I had said. His air seemed slightly pouty when he asked, "Lord Kankurou? That's the Marugame Prince you've fallen in love with?"

"No, it's his brother, Lord Gaara," I said.

"I'm going to be entirely honest with you," He said, haltingly. "When I first saw you, I was extremely relieved. You were beautiful, and though vain, were kind and smart. I was glad, because when I knew that I would have to marry someone to make an alliance, I didn't have too high of expectations. I was planning on a distant and cool marriage. I had accepted that it would be like that. But, after I met you, I started to think that maybe our marriage could be happy."

I looked away from him and back out at the pouring rain. What was he saying? That he did have feelings for me? This isn't what I wanted to hear.

"After hearing the rumors and seeing you now…when you said Lord Gaara's name…I know your heart belongs to someone else. If I married you, our marriage would most definitely be distant and cool. You would be miserable and I would be, too. Now that I've raised my expectations to be happily married, I find that I don't want them to drop again. I want my wife's eyes to light up when she talks about me. I want her to miss me when I'm gone. I want her to love me."

Lord Shino put his hand on my shoulder and I looked back at him. He leaned in close and I tried to read his expression though I couldn't see his eyes or mouth as he said, "Ino, thank you for the gifts. You didn't need to bring them or even to come here. I would have released you even if you had written me a letter. I was actually planning on sending _you_ a letter breaking the betrothal when I had heard the rumors. You are a good person. You've grown so much since I last saw you."

I bit my lip, struggling harder not to cry, "Lord Shino. Shino, I was so worried that you would be upset. I didn't know what to expect after the carriage incident…I was scared. Don't thank me, I should be thanking you for being so understanding. I'm really sorry."

"The carriage incident," he said. "That wasn't supposed to happen, but I have something to show you that might explain that a little bit."

"Something to show me?" I echoed as I followed him.

He led me deep into the inner recesses of the castle to a staircase. The hall in front of us was dark, but Shino didn't grab either of the torches hanging in the brackets outside the doorway. I found out why once we started our perilous trip down the stairs. The steps were steep and tilted, so that I clung to the railing desperately with both hands.

"The steps were built this way intentionally. If something were to happen and someone were to try to escape, this would slow them down considerably," Shino explained, already knowing my question, as we inched our way down the narrow hall.

The lower we traveled, the damper and cooler the air got. When we reached the bottom, water was dripping from the walls and ceilings, echoing oddly in the open cavern-like dungeon. First impression? This was definitely a place I would never want to be imprisoned.

A soldier stepped forward, startling me with his sudden appearance, and handed a heavy set of keys to Shino. I was busy thinking about the high levels of security in this castle fortress and wondering what it would be like to be raised in such a place, when he opened the door and what the room revealed inside wiped my thoughts away with shock.

I reeled backwards, bumping into the soldier who had been following close behind. He caught me under the elbows and gently helped me back to my feet. I hardly noticed, staring ahead at the smirking face regarding me with raised eyebrows.

"So, some of the Akatsuki still lives," I said, taking a deep breath and trying to regain steadiness.

"Ah, Princess Ino. It has been a long time. Still getting in trouble, eh?" he asked, nodding to my bruised face.

I resisted the urge to touch the injury, "I think my condition is better than yours. You've lost a lot of weight, Hidan. You look like a skeleton."

"This Bastard here is trying to keep me weak. I find it flattering, that he has me under maximum security," Hidan laughed, gesturing with a handcuffed hand in Shino's direction. "It will only make my escape more satisfying."

Behind me, I could feel the soldier tense at his words, but Shino ignored his bait. Instead, he adjusted his glasses and said, "Tell the princess what you told me last night."

Hidan laughed again, "You can imprison me, but you can't force me to say anything I don't want to."

I expected Shino to threaten him, but he laughed, too, "I thought it would be something you longed to tell her. She's partly the reason you're in this predicament, you know."

"You're right. I was going to tell her anyway, you bastard. So, I will tell her, but of my violation," he said. Shino shrugged to appease him. It seemed to work, because Hidan said, "You know that Lord Orochimaru used to be a part of the Akatsuki, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, Orochimaru used to be a leading part of the Akatsuki, but he had some trouble with Itachi after he joined. He wanted Itachi to be his main tool or something of that sort, and Itachi wasn't having it. So, Orochimaru left in a huff and formed his Sound Five. But, the Sound Five never really had the fear or impact that the Akatsuki had. He wants that, because he has this grand vision of his empire encompassing the whole world. He wants to own everything, and he thinks starting a new group and tacking on the reputation of the Akatsuki will get him that.

"Your father actually helped him by getting rid of his big competition…Lord Pein and the rest of us Akatsuki," he laughed. Stunned, I just stared at him. He threw his head back and his Adam's apple, appearing unusually large because of his unhealthy thinness, worked up and down. "While you believe you're secure, he's planting people in your castles and setting you against each other to break up your alliance."

"So, the carriage incident was him trying to cause discord between us?" I asked Shino.

The hooded man nodded, "He sent a group masquerading as you in to our base. They made it all the way to the court before we realized, and I lost several good men. After that, we tried to figure out when you would be here based on your last letter, but we thought it would take you longer than it really did. So, when your company showed up, my soldiers were sure you were another false princess."

"I had a really small procession, so we traveled really quickly," I said quietly. I couldn't believe it. We killed the Akatsuki off only for them to return with a vengeance. And, this time, we had no idea who the members were.

"Don't have such a sour face, Princess Ino," Hidan tutted.

I shot a glare at him before marching out of the room. When we were climbing back up the stairs, which was a great deal more work than coming down them had been, I raised my voice so that Shino could hear me, "Why do you keep him alive? He's told you about the Akatsuki, right?"

"I keep him alive so that I can confirm things. And, I'm convinced that he has more information he hasn't told me yet. After all, he's only just last night told me about the new Akatsuki."

I nodded even though he couldn't see me.

"I need to hurry and get back to tell my father. A new Akatsuki, huh? When will it ever end?"

"Maybe never."

.o0o.

We gathered out in front of the new carriage that Shino had prepared for us. We'd helped the wood masters and their wives get settled into their new houses, and now our company had dwindled down to just my guards, my two maids, Suzy, and myself.

In my lifetime, I had said many goodbyes. Some had been full of sorrow, some full of triumph, and some full of longing…but this one was the easiest. I had resolved my problem with Shino without too much problem and was now heading back to Gaara and my friends.

When I saw Gaara next, I might be starting my wedding plans. Looking down at my hand, I was wearing the ring on my wedding finger again. Lady Aburame had given me a book that had herbal recopies for pregnancy and children after I told her about Gaara. Embarrassed about the implications and thankful for her unchanging kindness towards me, I had thrown my arms around her and begged her to visit me sometime. I'm glad that I had said good bye then, because she was laid up in the healing room, suffering from a miagrane.

Standing beside me, Konohamaru shifted uncomfortably. Unlike me, he wasn't excited to see Gaara again. He felt like he'd failed his mission and didn't want to see the person who'd assigned him. I didn't think he really had anything to fear, it wasn't like he had any control over what happened, but nothing I'd said had relieved him.

"Goodbye, Ino. Remember me when you plan the wedding," Shino said, hooded as always and watching over the preparations from his place on the steps.

"I will," I said as Konohamaru helped me into my seat. He handed Suzy up to me, and she settled into my lap with a resigned sigh. She hated traveling because she hated being confined. "Thank you for everything!"

He nodded and waved and then we were off. The horses trotted briskly, seeming to be excited to leave the many-walled fortress and emerge back into the forest. The bad feeling was still mulling in my stomach and I was frightened. Now that I knew about the new Akatsuki, I was certain that the feeling had something to do with them. And, knowing something about the source made it easier to handle.

.o0o.

Daikirai let out a content sigh. He was sitting next to the fire, both his and Kega's hair wet and smelling of river. His hair, already braided by Kega, was hanging over the back of the chair to be dried from the hearth's heat and he was returning the favor to Kega. In moments like this, her head leaning back in his lap while he combed the tangles out of her long coal-black hair with the ivory comb he had brought her this time, they almost seemed normal. If anyone passed by and happened to glance in the window, they might mistake them for a happy couple.

But, that was an illusion. This was an illusion. Daikirai wandered how perceptive Kega was and how much she believed was real. He wandered how she would respond to him telling her that he was going to marry a princess soon. She would probably cry. That's why he wouldn't. Not for a while at least. She was too valuable to him at the moment as a source of information and she had found and healed him. So, while he didn't make more than a few small attempts to be nice to her, he would withhold this blow for a while.

Then, she was crying anyway. She jumped up and away from him, ringing her hands and looking distraught. "You have to go."

This was the most forceful he had been to him since she'd demanded that he drink all of his medicine because she'd spent a great deal of her funds on it. He stood up and studied her for a moment. She was terrified and he had an idea of what was going on. The bad man was here.

She pointed out the window and he saw the lone horse rider making his way towards the house. Though he usually liked her weakness and brokenness, he found it annoying now. "Stop crying."

"Please leave."

"Do you want me to kill him for you?" he asked.

Her eyes widened with surprise and hope. She opened her mouth, as if to ask him if he really would. If he would take her pain away. He knew that she knew he wasn't a good person either, but for some reason she liked him.

He cursed at himself inwardly, realizing that he had spoken rashly and couldn't do this for her. If he did, he risked drawing attention to himself and then he would have to protect the girl from the bad man's cohorts. Plus, he needed more information.

"I will. I will kill him for you, but you have to get all the information out of him that you can. You need to report to me. Get him to take you to the castle. You have to be the perfect agent and manipulate him exactly how I say."

She hesitated. She always hesitated. It frustrated him. "Will you stay with me after you kill him?"

He laughed cruelly, "If you can manage to do as I say, I will make you my official mistress."

"Official…mistress…?"

The bad man was closer to the house now. He stooped and kissed her on the cheek, leaving her stunned and alone by the fire. Slipping out the back door, he ordered, "Don't let me down."

"O, what men dare do! What men may do! What men daily  
>do, not knowing what they do!"<p>

Much Ado About Nothing, Act IV, Scene i


End file.
